Coleoptera Oak Ridge, TN September 25, 2008 I was very surprised to learn through an internet search that this fuzzy white "aphid eater" is a type of ladybug larva! It has white waxy secretions that protect it from attacks from ants. The ants try to protect the aphids, which this larva eats, because they eat the honeydew produced by the aphids. What an amazing relationship between the three different types of insects! A Chinese relative of these predatory beetles is being used in the battle against the Hemlock Wooly Adelgids in the Smokies.
spp. / Order:Coleoptera Oak Ridge, TN September 11, 2008 This is what the mystery critter turned out to be when it stretched out (to 3"!). I figured it was a beetle larva of some sort. Lynn looked up "Beetle larvae" on Bugguide.net and we finally found it. We learned it is an adult female Giant Glow-worm. Later, I read that the female larvae and adult beetles are bioluminescent (probably as a deterrent to nocturnal predators). The adult females are larviform, they look very similar to the larvae. The larvae eat millipedes and can deliver a painful bite (due to a toxic saliva). I was glad I didn't handle it when I was trying to photograph it! This probably explains why I have seen the hollow exoskeletons of millipedes on the trail when I've been hiking. This website tells more about these interesting animals:Glow-worms Adult male Glow-worm beetles are winged and have HUGE feathery antennae, they do not eat.
